Dead
by King Kiashi
Summary: Endless failure. Eventually you begin to to think 'What's the point in trying' That's how I've become. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I never passed the Academy. But, fate has intervened, and an old friend has decided to save me from darkness. T violence
1. Chapter 1  A Hateful Day

A/N: Hello everybody! I'm very excited! This will be my first Multi-Chapter! Woohoo! I hope you enjoy this fabulous first installment! I say it's quite a good start! Expect updates! :) This is different than my first two fictions. Those were a bit silly, while this...this is cold, dark and sad. :) Enjoy!

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><p>Failure after failure after failure. I remember when I used to care whether I passed or failed. I remembered when I used to hope that I would pass and become a genin. I remember so many things, but they don't matter anymore. They're simply dreams that will never come true. The dreams of a foolish child that is now long gone, replaced with a hollow shell that is me.<p>

I always sit in the corner. Not because teachers place me there, but because I want to be there. Classes trawl by every day, but I have long since stopped listening. I took to staring out the window, thinking of nothing in particular.

My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm the kid who never passed the Academy. I go through each year alone and empty. I used to try and make friends, but people come and go, and I never can follow them, so what was the point in trying? I sat back in my chair, probing my feet on the desk. I closed my eyes, and tried to shut the teacher's lecture out. It was only a few minutes before a ruler snapped down upon my feet. My eyes shot wide and I cried out, suddenly regretting wearing my black sandals.

"Uzumaki! Pay attention!" The teacher roared. I stared into the brown eyes of Tachiki Tairiki, my teacher this year. I had been moved from Iruka's class after failing my first year.

"Yes, Tachiki-Sensei…" I sighed, my voice sounding flat and weary. The teacher glared at me for a few moments longer, then turned back to his class. I suddenly became aware of everybody staring at me. I lowered my head, gazing down at my now-red toes. _I'm the failure who sits in the corner, there's nothing to look at here._ I thought. The teacher apologized for the interruption and carried on with his lecture, but I didn't care. I simply stared out the window, marveling the beauty of the grass and trees. I made certain to dart my eyes back to him occasionally so he wouldn't notice I wasn't paying attention._ I hate this._ I thought. _I just don't care anymore. What's the point of being Hokage, mind you? Nobody would listen to me. That was a stupid dream. What's the point of being a ninja? Who could I ever hope to triumph over?_ I sighed. _I'm so weak._

Class ended that day like they did everyday. Everybody bustled out as soon as the bell rang, but I stayed a few moments longer, staring out the window. The teacher marched over to my desk, a glare on is face.

"Let's go, Uzumaki. You're as slow as a turtle. You do this everyday." He growled, his voice hostile. I understood why he was always so angry with me. He was sick of me. I never did anything, and I'm certain it infuriated him that he couldn't make me be a good student, or even pay attention.

"I think turtles can be quite fast underwater." I replied, and stood up, grabbing my satchel and slinging it over my shoulder. I walked out the door without ever looking at him. I heard him sigh as I made my way down the hall. I rolled my cerulean eyes. _There's no point in trying. I'm not going to change. I'll be an Academy student forever. The genin days so many students are able to someday experience will never be true for me._ I thought, a frown tugging at my lips. I walked out into the schoolyard, and I saw all the kids playing outside, waiting for their parents to pick them up. A few backed away from me as I passed by. They knew it was best to stay away from me. Not only because I was a jinchuuriki, but because anybody that tried to get too close to me I pushed away. I didn't need friends. _Friends are stupid. They can't be trusted. They betray you, backstab you, and destroy you._ I thought sullenly. I stalked over to my swing, glaring at anybody who was too close to it. They shuffled away, unnerved by my cold gaze. I sat down on the wooden platform, my hands gripping the ropes. My head hung down, and I stared at my orange pants. _What a goofy attire. It would have suited me in the past._ I thought. But, despite how much I'd changed since then, I still loved the color. As a compromise, I switched to orange and black. _Orange of a once-cheerful child, black of a cold young man._ I thought with a faint smile.

Suddenly I saw a rock whirling toward me at the corner of my vision. I turned my head to it to see it better, but that was a grave mistake. Before I could raise my arms in defense, the rock smashed into one of the lenses of my green goggles. I heard the sickening shatter of glass and I fell out of the swing, hitting the ground head-first with a hard thump. I heard the cruel laughter of several children, and one kid yelled "Headshot!"

Of course. They were cowards, attacking me at long range. I tried to move, but found myself stunned. My head throbbed with pain, and a few shards of glass were imbedded into my forehead. Slowly, I sat up, clutching my goggles, a dark look in my cerulean eyes. _I love these goggles. They were from back in my earlier years, where the future seemed brighter._ I glared at a group of kids holding a few rocks in your hands.

"You'll wish you'd never done that." I told them slowly, my voice sounding dangerous, filled with cold, contained rage. The kids backed away a few paces, unnerved. I stood up, using the swing seat as a support. Blood stained my hand from my forehead, and I gritted my teeth. One of the kids, a stubborn blonde-haired girl, sneered at me.

"You're here every year. You should've been a genin long ago, but you aren't. I think that means you aren't very strong. So you're all talk!" She growled. The other kids stared at her for a moment, then nodded their heads, understanding her logic.

"She's right! You're nothing to be afraid of!" A brown-haired boy yelled. The two of them threw their rocks at me. I managed to dodge one, but the blonde girl's rock smashed into my eye. I cried out in pain, and stumbled back falling into my swing. I tripped over it and fell face-first into the ground. The kids laughed at me and hurled their rocks. I could feel them slam into various parts of my body. I quickly covered my head with my arms, trying to withstand the onslaught of cruelty. _Cowards! Cowards! Cowards!_ I thought furiously. _Come and face me, rather than hiding behind your silly rocks!_

"That's enough!" A voice roared. Immediately the children stopped throwing rocks. I hesitantly rose my head to see Iruka, standing over the kids, an enraged expression on his face.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves! This is no way to treat somebody! Detention, all of you!" He yelled. The kids dropped their rocks, hanging their heads.

"We're sorry Iruka-sensei." They all apologized, sounding extremely fake. The blonde-haired girl glared at me, hatred in her green eyes. I stared at her, shocked. _How can you blame ME for this? You were the one throwing rocks! You should've known you'd be caught!_ I thought.

The children filed back into the building, and I counted how many there were. Five. _That's not too many…_ I mused. Iruka watched them enter the building, then strode over to me.

"Naruto, are you alright? I'll take you to the hospital-"

"I'm fine." I interrupted him, and struggled to stand. He offered a hand, but I refused to take it. I grabbed the swing for support and hauled myself back up. Iruka's onyx eyes widened when he saw the blood that ran down my face, and my black eye.

"Naruto, you're not fine! Come with me!" He made a move to grab my hand, but I quickly backed away.

"I don't need your help!" I growled at him. I turned and bolted away, staggering slightly as I ran.

"Naruto, wait!" I heard him call after me, but I did not stop. I didn't even look back. I raced through the Academy entrance and out onto the streets, my black velvet satchel banging against my side. A few villagers looked at me in surprise, and they quickly moved out of my way. I could feel my legs growing weary and my head becoming dizzy, but I did not stop. I just kept running, running, endlessly running….

Until I barreled into an old friend. I slammed straight into her, knocking us both to the ground. The books she'd had in her hands clattered to the ground with us, and I found myself lying on top of somebody I had not expected to meet that day. Or any day, in fact.

I was looking into the jade green eyes of Sakura Haruno, a girl I'd known three years ago at the Academy.

"Naruto?" She stared at me in shock, and a drop of my blood landed on her cheek.

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><p>AN: I really am mean to Naruto. Oh well. I hope you liked my cliffhanger. What did you guys think? Interesting? I'm certainly interested.


	2. Chapter 2  An Old Friend

A/N: Eh? You guys got an update yesterday, and now you're getting another one today! Wow! Yes, I stayed up till 4 Am last night, spent most of today writing this, and here I am at 4 Am again finishing up and posting it. This chapter is longer than the other! Hooray! Quite a bit happens here, so have fun reading! I enjoyed writing this :). I thank you for the wonderful reviews! They helped me write this chapter. And to all the people who have favorited/alerted this. I'm very glad you guys like it!

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><p>Chapter Two - An Old Friend<p>

I was speechless. I stared at her, my mouth hanging open in absolute shock. It seemed like we laid there for minutes, just staring, as our minds tried to comprehend it all. Finally, she broke the silence.

"What happened to you?" Sakura whispered, her eyes wide with horror. I blinked several times, my mind being slow to respond. Then I felt the agony ripping through half my face, and my brain caught up to me. Quickly I rolled off of her, and sat up. She did the same. I sat there for a moment, gazing down at my feet. My toes were still red from Tachiki's ruler.

"A few kids." I mumbled. I glanced at her, and it was obvious she wasn't satisfied with my answer, but didn't persist. She busied herself gathering her books, and while she was doing that, I stared at her. I hadn't seen her since I was twelve years old. _Three years. _She looked far different than she had before. Her hair was short, cut at neck level. It was still the same vibrant pink I remembered, but seemed a bit wilder. Her arms were lean and muscular, and had a few scars on them. I wondered briefly where they were from.

It all felt like a dream. I had never expected to see Sakura again after she'd walked out those Academy doors with a ninja headband, a genin, unlike me. I wondered how she'd react when she found out I was still an Academy student.

Sakura's books were all in he hands now, and she turned her attention back to me.

"You know that's going to need medical attention." She reminded me. I shrugged. She gave me a stern look and stood up. She stuck her books under one of her arms and held her other arm out to me. I stared at it for a moment.

"Take my hand." She ordered. I still didn't take it. Even though I used to know her, I found myself unable to completely trust her. I couldn't trust anybody. _Especially after being beaten with rocks by a few kids. _Sakura sighed and reached down, grabbing my wrist. Before I could protest, she yanked me up to my feet. I swayed slightly for a few moments.

"You're still wearing those goggles?" She asked me. "Where's your headband?" That question made me feel nauseous. _I don't have one because I'm stupid._ I thought. I shrugged, and hung my head, staring down at my feet. My feet seemed like the safest place to look at that moment. I heard her sigh and realized she was still holding my wrist. I didn't like that.

"Could you let go?" I asked her, my voice sounding quiet.

"No. You're coming with me. I need to patch you up." I winced with my good eye. I didn't like the idea of going anywhere with anybody either. _When we were in the Academy, you hated me. You were always so mean to me. How can I go with you to anywhere if that's the last I saw of you? How can I trust you?_ I thought. My heart began to beat faster, and I could feel fear seeping into me. I glanced at the muscles on her arms and legs. Sakura looked like somebody who could deal some serious damage. And me? I was a weakling. I wasn't even a ninja! She began to walk, intent on tugging me along with her, but my feet were glued to the ground. She halted, and turned her head back to me.

"Is something wrong?" She asked me, her voice sounding concerned. I still didn't look up.

"I'm not going with you." I told her, my voice shaking.

"There's nothing to be afraid of." She replied, her tone becoming gentle. I shook my head, and tried to tug my hand away, but she held on. "I can't stand by and let you walk away injured like that."

"I can treat it myself." I growled. Sakura reluctantly released my wrist.

"You're acting differently." She observed, moving closer to me. I took a step away from her, and kicked a small stone.

"Yea."

"Did something happen?"

"A lot happened." _I didn't pass._ An uncomfortable silence stretched between us. I rolled the small stone around with the bottom of my foot, and thrust my hands in my pockets. She rested a hand on my shoulder. My muscles tensed, and I finally looked up, staring at her hand in surprise. It was laced with many scars and even had a few fresh scratches on it.

"You don't trust me, but then again, I haven't given you any reason to do so." Sakura turned me to face her. "Even so, let me fix your wounds. I may have been a jerk to you back in the Academy, but I never tried to hurt you, right? So why would I now? You have to think about that." She winked at me. I glared at her suspiciously.

"Okay…" I agreed reluctantly. Sakura smiled at me, and took my wrist again. Her grip was loose and gentle, and I could feel the roughness of her skin. She led me down the street, but I eventually slipped my wrist out of her battered hand and walked beside her. My face ached treacherously and it made me want to cry, but I held my tears of agony in. I didn't want to cry in front of her. I never cried in front of anybody.

I stole a glance at the books she was carrying. Unfortunately, she noticed me looking and took the books out from under her arm.

"These are just a few novels I picked up from the library." She explained, showing me them. I nodded, reading the titles.

"I didn't know you liked reading." I scratched my head, a mystified expression on my face. She shrugged, smiling.

"My sensei, Kakashi, took me to the library last year and I became a big time reader." She turned her head to me, and I noticed how her eyes lingered on the injured portion of my face. I reached a hand up and touched the bruised skin around my eye. My eye had been swollen shut, and wet, warm blood coated the area around it. I gritted my teeth at the throbbing pain. I had shut it out and tried to ignore it, but now the agony seemed to overtake me. I swayed, but a hand pressed against my back and steadied me. I turned my head to see Sakura, concern showing on her face.

"I'm fine." I mumbled before she could ask. She gave me a doubtful look. We continued walking, but she didn't release her hand from my back. Her hand was bothering me. I didn't like people touching me. _But what can I do about it? She has to touch me in order to fix my injuries. And I suppose I do need her to steady me, since I'm having trouble standing. _I sighed. She glanced at me, but said nothing. _I guess I'll just have to endure it._

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><p>Eventually we reached her apartment. She reached down into the pocket of her black shorts, and withdrew a plain silver key. She fitted it into the lock and turned it. I heard a small <em>clink!<em> as the door unlocked. She twisted the doorknob and opened the door, and gestured at me to come inside. I hesitated for a moment, shooting her a wary look, and slipped inside the apartment.

I found myself standing in a large room. There was a dark blue couch on one wall and the same kind of couch on the other wall. A coffee table sat in the middle of the room, and I noticed a few papers with writing on them lying on it. A couple pencils sat on it too, along with some books and, to my surprise, gears, springs, and a few tiles of metal. Sakura seemed to notice my quizzical expression when I saw the machine parts on her table.

"I've been doing a bit of study on building things." She explained, a sheepish, lopsided smile on her face. She shut the door and led me over to the couch. I sat down, and noticed that the floor had light blue carpet.

"You like blue or something?" I asked her. She blinked, and looked at the carpet.

"Oh, it's okay. I just let my Dad pick the color." She shrugged, then glanced at my face. "I'll be right back. Wait there." She instructed, and hustled out of the room and into the kitchen. I sat there, looking around at the room. I noticed she had a wooden cabinet on the wall opposite of the door. A picture frame rested on it, and I saw the twelve-year old version of herself with Sasuke and Ino. An older man with silver hair stood above the three, and I could tell he was smiling under his dark blue mask. _That must be Kakashi, her sensei._ I thought. Suddenly my eyes locked with another object lying on the cabinet. I felt my breath hitch in my throat at the sight of it. It was Sakura's ninja headband. The plate was no longer the gleaming, unblemished metal I remembered, but rather it was scratched up with a few deep slashes cutting through it and some dried blood stuck to its surface. The cloth that it rested on wasn't blue anymore, but rather red.

I gritted my teeth. _A ninja headband. Something I'll never have._ I thought angrily, my hands balling up into fists. I raised a hand up to feel the warm blood running down my cheek, and I closed my good eye. _I'm weak. I'm fourteen, and yet I get beat up by a bunch of kids. _I opened my eye an glanced at the ninja headband. _It looks like Sakura is a girl who has seen many battles._

Suddenly Sakura returned. She was hold a wet towel and a dry towel in her hands, along with a small bottle filled with cloudy liquid and a roll of bandages. She shoved a few books out of the way and set the objects down on the table. The pink-haired kunoichi turned to me and gently took my goggles off, setting them down on the table with her machine parts. She blinked in surprise when she saw the shards of glass imbedded into my bloody forehead.

"Those kids you mentioned must have nailed you good. What did they hit you with?" She asked, and leaned over me, setting to work picking the glass shards out.

"Rocks." I answered simply. I noticed that my eyes were aligned with her chest and collarbone. Many guys would've been looking in the wrong places, but I wasn't like that. Rather, my eyes were transfixed on her neck. A deep scar ran from her neck to her collarbone, looking to be a bit more recent than the others. I found myself reaching a hand up and absentmindedly tracing the gash with my finger.

"What's the story behind this scar?" I asked her, curiosity seeping into my voice. She stopped and looked down at my hand, a surprised expression on her face.

"Oh, that. My team had a bit of a…disagreement a few weeks ago. Let's just say I learned that with some fights, it's best not to intervene." She explained. I stared at her with wide cerulean eyes, and withdrew my hand from her collarbone and place it back in my lap. She had finished picking the glass out and my forehead felt a little better.

Then Sakura took the wet towel off the table and rubbed my face with it. At first, I didn't understand what she was doing, then I realized she was cleaning the blood off of me. I grunted in pain, but resisted the urge to tug her hand away. _She's helping me, not hurting me._ I reminded myself. When that was done she took the dry towel and poured some of the cloudy liquid from the small bottle onto it.

"Now, this is going to sting. It's a disinfectant. Rocks are far from the cleanest things in the world, I believe." I bit my lip, and nodded. Sakura pressed the towel against my eye and forehead and I cried out in pain. I found myself clinging to her wrist, my good eye shut tight. The pain in my eye and forehead was accompanied by a sharp stinging sensation. I released her wrist after awhile, growing accustomed to the sting, and she withdrew the towel. Then she took the roll of bandage gauzes, and plopped down on the couch next to me. She wrapped the bandages around my head, moving my bangs out of the way as she did so. I sat there quietly, staring down at my feet. Her bandages wrapped around my eye and ear, and she paused for a moment.

"Hold onto the roll for a moment. I forgot the scissors." She ordered, and I reached a hand up, taking the roll from her. Sakura sped away, rushing to what I presumed was her room. I heard the sound of drawers opening and things behind moved aside, and I could hear her grumbling about where she'd put her scissors. I smiled in amusement. I then heard a loud exclamation of "There you are!" and heard footsteps running back into the living room.

"Sorry, my scissors were hiding." She apologized, and sat back down, taking the roll from my hand and snipping the gauze. I felt her tie the two ends together, and when that was done she stood up, setting the roll of bandages back on the table. She stared at my face for a moment, a smile touching her lips, like she were admiring her handiwork. I reached up and touched the bandages.

"You're pretty good at this." I observed. "Thank you."

"Heh, you're welcome. Though, I'm no medical ninja, so my work certainly isn't perfect. You've probably noticed I'm a little beat up, so I need to know a few things to take care of my various wounds."

"Why are you so battered up? I've noticed even your headband is scratched and bloodied."

"I take a lot of the rough missions. I've had plenty of epic adventures in my ninja career. Say, why don't you come over tomorrow? We can catch up on old times." She suggested, grinning. I stared at her for a moment, uncertain of how to respond. _I don't have much reason to fear her now. She just fixed me up and is being very hospitable._ I narrowed my good eye. _Then again, I never know, now do I? She could very well be setting me up for betrayal. After all, why would anybody show me such generosity? I'm a jinchuuriki. But…she doesn't know that._ I leaned back into the couch, and folded my arms. _She doesn't know that I'm an Academy student either. She thinks I'm a ninja like her. Maybe that's why she's being so kind. Ninjas help their comrades, right? But I'm not her comrade. I'm not a fellow ninja. I'm a weak Academy student who can't do anything right._

"I'll think about it." I finally answered. Sakura nodded to me, and reached down, grabbing my goggles. She examined them for a moment, a frown on her face.

"Hey…I think I might be able to fix these." She mused. I perked up immediately after she said that.

"Really?" I exclaimed. I valued my goggles a lot more than one would think. To see them broken was truly a tragedy for me.

"Yea. I can take out this old lens and fit a new one in easily." She replied, giving me an odd look. She apparently didn't expect me to act so excited about it.

"Great! In that case, I'll come by tomorrow for sure!" I flashed her a grin. It had been a long time since I had grinned. But somebody doing something nice for me? That truly heightened my mood. The rock incident suddenly didn't seem as bad.

"Alright. Be seeing you, then." She have me a tiny wave of farewell. I stood up, and made my way to the door. I opened it, and turned my head to her.

"See you later. Thank you very much." I shut it behind me and began to make my out of the apartment complex, filled with a sense of optimism that was so alien to me yet so wonderful, too. Of course, my joy wouldn't last for long.

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><p>I reached my own apartment complex and trudged up the rusty green stairs. Before I reached my apartment door though, a man appeared around the corner.<p>

"Uzumaki! There are you a…Oh dear. What happened to your face?" The man exclaimed, staring at my bandages in surprise.

"Oh, a few stupid kids, Kaiusho." I waved a hand, dismissing the topic. "Do you need me for something?" Kaiusho was the landlord of my apartment complex, and was also a jonin. He was in his mid-forties, and looked rather burly and was usually quite fuzzy. I liked him a bit.

"Yes, I'm afraid I do. It's the monthly duty of a landlord. I believe your rent is due." He explained. I shrugged, and smiled. I knew I had enough money.

"No problem! Here…" I popped open my satchel, flipping the flap back, and dug around my belongings, searching for the money I always carried. Strangely enough, it wasn't in it's usual corner. Perplexed, I opened the bag up a bit more and peered inside, shuffling my stuff around. But...it…wasn't in there.

Horror and dread seeped into me as I realized what had happened. Somebody had stolen all my money! I thought back, trying to remember if there was a time where I was away from my satchel. Then, my mind locked on a single moment. During lunch, the teacher had called me up to gripe about a homework assignment I hadn't turned in about shuriken, which, still wasn't done, but at the time I hadn't really cared. I had left my satchel hanging on the corner of my chair. I had assumed nobody could steal anything, since, well, I was still in the same room and it was close by, so I was certain I'd have noticed if somebody snuck into it. I remembered that when I had sat back down, the blonde-haired girl who was the apparent leader of the gang of rock-throwers was sitting in her seat with a smug, evil expression. A grin had occupied her face, and she kept glancing back at me. I hadn't thought much of it at the time. Now though, I realized how grave of a mistake I'd made. Kaiusho sighed, seeing my horrified expression.

"There is a problem after all." He observed. I nodded grimly, and I realized my hands were trembling.

"Somebody stole my money." I told him, my voice quivering. "I…I know who did it, but I don't know her name." He frowned at my revelation.

"Beat it out of her tomorrow, Uzumaki. She'll break and hand it over. I know those Academy kids." He frowned, and his sea green eyes glanced at my apartment door. "If not, then I'm afraid I can only give you three days to pack up and leave. Are we clear on that?" I nodded numbly at him, my good eye wide. He gave me a tiny nod in reply, and turned, walking away. I watched him leave till I couldn't see his green flak jacket anymore, my frustration growing with each passing second.

I bit my lip, my hands transforming into shaky fists. My horror transformed into pure rage. I released a long howl of fury and pounded my fist against the wall. Pain shot up my arm, and I withdrew my hand, seeing blood on my knuckles. The wall had a small crack in it, dotted with blood. Shuddering, I fought to control my anger. I fell against the wall, feeling pent-up tears welling in my eye. I slowly slid to the floor, and began to sob, feeling helpless and weak. The beautiful feeling of joy I'd felt at Sakura's apartment was completely and utterly destroyed.

That blonde-haired girl was my only hope of keeping a roof over my head, and I highly doubted I could get my money back. But I had to try.

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><p>AN: Wow, that was awesome. Okay, to clear a few things up. I've decided Sakura won't be a medical ninja in this story. In this story, I think I'll have it to where Tsunade hasn't 'come to town' yet. And, well, Naruto wasn't there to help fuel her ambition. Rather, she's a ninja that gets down and dirty with the rough, violent jobs and has a talent for invention. Sounds pretty cool (and with everything else about this story, it's quite intriguing). Plus, while healing powers are awesome, they kind of destroy alot of those "character is injured" scenes. I mean really...She can just heal 'em. Of course, there's a certain extent, but still!

Oh, and something else. It says three years, but it also says Naruto is fourteen. Well, I think at the beginning of the series they weren't too far into the age of 12, so I decided to count 12. 12, 13, 14. So, I guess he's almost 15? I'm not too sure. But Sakura is 15 already, since her birthday's in March.

Oh, and by the way, I suppose the blonde-haired girl has become an antagonist in this story. So, she's an OC. But, do not worry, for she is not a Mary Sue! (She's an Academy student! o.O) I'm serious, Sakura could whoop her butt easily. Even so, she can still be quite dangerous! *evil grin*

So, like you guys, I can't wait for the next installment! Till next time!


	3. Chapter 3 Confronting A Thief

A/N: Sorry for the wait! This took like, a week cause LOOKIT THIS THING! It's 6,927 words(now quite bigger due to this author's note)! Sheesh! But, it's a very eventful chapter, has about 6 major scenes I'd say. A few are separated with this line, but mostly aren't, since they transition into each other rather than a tiny timeskip. Let's see now. In this chapter, we have action, angsty hurt/comfort stuff, a little bit of romance, maybe, and humor too! Wow! Probably other stuff too, but eh, I don't feel like racking my brain through all of it. Basically I can assure you it's well-worth the wait.

Anyways, I think I'll do that shout-out thing some authors do! Hooray? Enjoy? I'm only doing the ones for chapter two, since, it's..well..the previous one.

King nintendo: Thank you! I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long! Happy New year to you too! (though I'm a tad late).

Kyuubi-Sama: Eh, I guess hardcore angst isn't your thing. We have to have problems in here, y'know. But I'm happy my stories can have some sort of emotional impact on you! I suppose you'll be sailing away to other waters now, aye? Was nice having you for a chapter or two. Thanks for reading :).

Bellum: I'm glad you enjoy it. This story is rather intriguing, indeed. Hope you like this chapter, too!

DudeX: Yea, I thought that sort of change would be good. It's kind of cool, eh? Yea, stories do need conflicts, but I get where Kyuubi-Sama's coming from, too. Glad you're enjoying it :).

Eto117: It's only been two days in the story. Yea, I make it seem a bit longer, but it really has. The Kyuubi doesn't work that fast. The Kyuubi would take longer to actually fix his wounds up. He doesn't heal himself, his body just has a quicker recovery rate. I might make it be a bit slower in this story. Him getting beat up doesn't seem as bad if he heals super fast o.O. Naruto and Kyuubi have never met in person here, so they aren't quite acquainted. They can't exactly collaborate well enough I suppose. Plus, Sakura fixing him up helps establish their relationship better. After all, we need Sakura in this story and it's a good starter. I'm glad you're enjoying this story, by the way :). Hope I cleared that up.

NOW, ONTO THE STORY! *hears a crowd cheering*

Yes, it's late at night again...

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><p>Chapter Three - Confronting A Thief<p>

The next day I couldn't stop stealing glances at the blonde-haired girl. She sat in her seat, dutifully paying attention to the teacher, writing notes, raising her hand and answering questions. I learned that her name was Shimai, and she was apparently quite intelligent.

While she was being a splendid student, I was plotting on ways to retrieve my money. Unlike her, I wasn't very smart, so I couldn't come up with anything extraordinarily elaborate. My best idea seemed to be confronting her and challenging her, but I had a feeling she wasn't the kind of person to be goaded into a fight. No, she'd have her cronies with her. Maybe I could take her herself on, but her and her buddies? No. I would be completely obliterated. _Plus, I have no idea how strong she is. She could very well be an excellent fighter. She has a good aim, so if she catches me at long range then I'm dead._

I had never thought this way before. It was making my brain ache, having to plan for a battle. I simply didn't have enough information to form a good plan. When lunch came by, I moved out of my seat and stood near her, munching on a peanut butter sandwich. I strained my ears to listen to her conversation, hoping to pick up any info that would aid me.

"Shimai, have you done today's homework yet?" A boy asked, leaned over to her. Shimai nodded her head, wolfing down some ramen from a white cup.

"Yea, I have. I did it when I finished taking those notes." She replied, and I could hear a loud _sluuuuurrrrrrrrrrpppp_ as she sucked up the ramen. _Wow, she's practically inhaling that thing! Apparently she loves ramen just as much as I do!_ I thought, amazed. I narrowed my eyes, trying to make use of what I'd just heard. _She apparently can do work fast, so maybe she's a quick thinker. Hmm. That could make things more difficult if it came to a fight._ I mused, frowning. I stared out the window, chewing a piece of my sandwich absentmindedly. The peanut butter stuck to my teeth and made me lick it off.

"Aye One-eye, you enjoying listening to my conversation?" A voice growled. I jumped, startled, and turned to see Shimai standing next to me, glaring up at me with her green eyes.

"Um, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just…eating my sandwich…" I stammered in reply.

"Uh-huh, I'm not stupid, Blondie. I know that's not all you were doing. Where's your goggles?" She asked me, sounding aggressive.

"Not on my head." I answered, regaining my composure and stand up a little straighter. Suddenly she snatched the sandwich out of my hand and flung it to the floor. She stomped her black leather boot down on it, flattening it completely.

"Don't get cocky with me, Uzumaki." She snarled, and grabbed my black-and-orange jacket. I stared at her, my good eye wide with fear and surprise.

"Shimai, that's enough. Leave Uzumaki alone." Tachiki chided, his voice sounding weary. Shimai reluctantly released my jacket and took a step back, hatred flaring in her green eyes. _What was that all about? She's awfully aggressive. _I thought, puzzled. I looked down at my flattened sandwich. _Maybe she was sizing me up or something. Assessing my strength. _I frowned, a worried expression crossing my face. _In that case, I didn't do a very good job looking tough._ I made my way back to my seat, and sat down. I wasn't all that hungry anymore.

"Uzumaki! Come up here!" Tachiki barked. I blinked, and stood up, making sure to take my satchel with me. I wasn't going to repeat yesterday.

"Yes, sensei?" I replied, making my way up to his desk.

"You still haven't finished your shuriken homework, now have you?" He asked me. I shook my head at him.

"No, sir."

"Will it ever be done?"

"Probably not." I sighed. I was going to be brutally honest with him. I seriously didn't care about my homework. He sighed too, and looked down at his hands.

"Naruto." He mumbled, his voice sounding quiet. I nodded to him. I wasn't used to him referring to me by my first name. _It must be serious._ "You're such a waste of potential. I see in you an intelligent young man, but you are too blind to see it for yourself how great of a ninja you could become." I stared at him in shock when he said those words, uncertain of how to respond. _An intelligent young man? I don't understand. I'm a complete and utter idiot. You're just saying that to try and make me feel better, but it's not going to work._

"That's a lie." I whispered to him finally. "I'm not smart."

"You lack the knowledge, but you have the qualities." He replied, and looked up at me. I saw sadness in his brown eyes, and a frown creased his face. I knitted my eyebrows together, trying to make sense of his words. Somewhere deep inside me, I knew a chord had been struck, but I didn't understand what it meant.

"Mull over it for awhile." He told me. "Go back to your seat." I nodded numbly and did as he ordered, sitting back in my chair, feeling confused and lost. _I have the qualities? The qualities of a smart person…? How can that be?_ I wondered, perplexed. I scratched my head, trying to make sense of his words. But…I couldn't seem to wrap my head around it. _Maybe it's one of those things you only understand till later._ I thought. I shot a glance at Shimai, who had finished her ramen and was staring up at the ceiling, looking to be lost in thought. _I have more important matters to worry about. After school, I am facing her. I don't care how scary or aggressive she is. I can't let her take away my home. _I thought, gritting my teeth in anger.

* * *

><p>School ended faster than I had anticipated. The bell rang, and the students all stood up, grabbing their things and leaving the room. Like yesterday, I stayed in my seat a few moments longer, watching anxiously as Shimai walked out the door. I found myself trembling. I was terrified of facing her. I knew that she and her gang could inflict serious harm on me, and I couldn't rely on the idea of Sakura being nearby to tend to my wounds like yesterday.<p>

"Uzumaki." Tachiki growled. I reluctantly stood up, grabbing my satchel.

"Sorry." I mumbled an apology, and began to rush toward the door when he reached out and grabbed my arm. I stopped, surprise on my face. I turned to face him. There was a hint of concern in his brown orbs.

"What happened to your eye?" He asked me. I frowned, and yanked my arm away from him.

"Nothing." I grumbled in reply. "Just a few kids." I was seriously becoming sick of people asking. It wasn't any of their business!

"Oh." He narrowed his eyes at me. "Well, you've still got an eye left, so could you please, please, at least _look_ at that shuriken homework assignment?"

"I'm not even sure if I still have it." I replied. The teacher made his way over to his desk, and opened a drawer. He took a sheet of paper out, and slid it across the desktop toward me.

"Here's a new copy. I'm not letting you get away with not doing it. Not this time. Please. Look at it tonight." I stared at him incredulously. A teacher was begging me to look at my homework. I gave him an extremely strange look. I hesitated for a moment, then took the paper from my desk and slid it into my satchel. I turned and walked out of the room, not even bothering to say farewell. I refused to give him an answer. I wasn't going to make a promise I couldn't keep. I couldn't bring myself to care about the homework. I just couldn't. And I wasn't going to give him any false hopes, either. But, I had taken the paper anyways, hadn't I? So maybe a part of me was contemplating the idea of actually doing what he said and looking at it.

I halted when I suddenly realized that Tachiki had just delayed me. Shimai could already be gone! Panic seeped into my mind, and I found myself running down the hall, muttering curses and hoping she hasn't evaded me. I burst out into the courtyard, searching for the spiky, messy blonde hair of Shimai. Then, I spotted her in the most unexpected spot.

She was sitting on my swing sideways, a smile on her face. She was leaning against one of the ropes, one hand holding onto the opposite rope. I realized she was looking at me. I gritted my teeth and my hands balled up into fists. _How dare she? That's my swing! And she's sitting there without a care in the world!_ I began marching toward her, a growl rumbling in my throat. Students shuffled out of the way, their eyes wide as they watched me make my way toward my enemy. A tiny voice in the back of my mind poked at my brain. _Wait. It seems a little suspicious. It could be a trap._ But my anger beat the tiny voice into oblivion, and I officially threw caution to the wind. I halted in front of the swing, rage flaring in my cerulean orbs.

"Aye One-eye. You took awhile." Shimai grinned, and I could just see the taunting gleam in her green eyes.

"Shut up." I hissed through gritted teeth. "I know what you did yesterday. You stole my money!" The blonde-haired girl's eyes widened, and she looked me up and down, an impressed expression on her face.

"You're sharper than I thought. What of it?"

"I want it back."

"I'm not handing it over. Sorry bud, you're out of luck." I couldn't stop myself. Her voice at that very moment was nails on a chalkboard for me. I couldn't stand it! I cocked my fist back, and slung it forward. I felt it collide with her face, and she crashed to the ground with a thud. I found myself smiling wickedly, even more so when I saw her blood on my knuckles.

"You aren't so tough now." I snarled, being consumed by my own rage. Suddenly, Shimai disappeared in a cloud of smoke. My good eye widened, and I felt something sharp and cold press into the side of my neck. I turned my head to see Shimai standing behind me, a frown on her face.

"I take that back. You're not sharp at all." She blinked when she saw my face. "Your iris is red." She observed, and withdrew her kunai knife from my throat. I stared at her, confused.

"What?" I didn't understand what she was talking about, but it was too late. The blade stabbed into my back, and I cried out in agony. I whirled around, and slung another fist at her, but she easily grabbed it and sent a kick up, catching me in the stomach. I doubled over and collapsed at her feet, coughing and clutching my stomach in pain. She released my hand and brought her foot down again, this time on my head, slamming my face into the dirt.

"Absolutely pathetic." She hissed. "I expected you to put up more of a fight, Uzumaki. You're a joke." Growling, I rolled away from her foot, and rose to my feet, swaying heavily.

"I'm not done yet." I gasped. I charged at her, and she smirked, raising her hands up in a cautious position. She obviously expected me to send her a fist or a kick, but I did neither. Rather, I decided to take advantage of my size. I tackled her.

I heard her gasp in surprise, and we fell to the ground. She stared up at me in shock, and I smiled at her. Her surprise didn't last long though, and she began to struggle underneath me. I held her down, my hands on her shoulders, feeling more triumphant than I'd ever felt.

"You're full of surprises, Uzumaki." She grunted. I chuckled.

"You've been beaten. Hand my money over." I commanded. She shook her head.

"Fat chance, Blondie." Before I could react, she jabbed a fist up and caught me in the jaw. I hissed in pain and my grip on her loosened. At that moment, she shot up, heaving me off of her. I fell gracelessly to the ground, stunned. She stood up, and began kicking me. I cried out and tried to rise, only to collapse again. She hurled another kick at me, but I managed to catch her foot. Before she could react, I yanked her down to the ground, and slowly rose to my feet, staggering heavily. She growled ferociously at me and stood up, but as fast as lightning I socked a fist at her. It crashed straight into her face, and her head shot back. She fell down to the ground, landing hard on her butt. She sat up, fury in her eyes. Blood leaked out of her now-red nose.

"You're going to pay for that." She told me, her voice slow and dangerous. I could feel fear beginning to well inside me, but I refused to back down. Not now.

"Hand it over." I growled, trying to keep my voice from quivering. She smiled at me.

"Lucky hit. Doesn't mean I yield." Shimai stood up again, and wiped the blood off her nose with the sleeve of her blue jacket. I glared at her, my hands balled up into fists. Pain shot through my sides where she had brutally kicked me, but I ignored it. We stood there, staring at each other, when she gave my face a peculiar look.

"Why is your eye red?" She asked me, looking mystified. I blinked, then shook my head.

"I'm not falling for that again." I hissed.

"I'm not joking. It's really red. Hold on a moment." She dug a steel kunai knife out of her pocket. Immediately I assumed a battle position. She held the knife out to me, and I blinked again. This knife wasn't the typical black, but rather a gleaming silver color. I saw my reflection clearly in the metal, and she was right. My iris was glowing red, and my pupil had become a demonic-looking slit. I narrowed my good eye at the image. _It must be the fox…_ I mused. Before I could think about it further, the knife suddenly left my vision and a searing pain erupted in my shoulder. I turned my head to see the steel knife imbedded into it, but while I did that, Shimai swung her fist forward and it smashed into my jaw. I staggered back, toppling over onto my swing, my stomach against the platform. She grinned and shot her foot forward, kicking me in the butt. The swing lurched backward and I found myself suspended into the air for a split second, then my face was buried in the dirt. I struggled to stand, but my injured shoulder wouldn't respond and I collapsed back down to the ground.

I could hear kids erupting into laughter, and my hands balled up into fists. Their sick laughter was maddening! I heard footsteps approaching me, and a foot crashed down onto my back. I gasped in pain at the sudden contact.

"You thought you could trounce me, Uzumaki, but you were wrong. Oh, so wrong. If you ever want to defeat me, you're going to have to pull your act together. We are at the Academy for a reason. To become ninja and defend not only ourselves and our village, but each other. Those who don't pay attention or try will never be able to beat the ones who do. It's a fact. You have failed, and you will always fail if you don't realize this." Her foot left my back, only to slam down again, harder this time. I gasped and coughed, feeling salvia leak out of my mouth onto the ground.

"I hate people like you. You're lazy and you don't care at all! You're so stupid. Selfish." She continued, and I could hear the venom in her voice. I dug my nails into the dirt, gritting my teeth. Tears leaked out of my good eye, and I began to sob.

"You don't understand." I choked out, my voice trembling. "I'm not like that…"

"You're pathetic!" Shimai snarled, and her foot left my back again, but this time it did not return. I heard her turn and walk away, and I heard the crowd that had gathered beginning to break up. I didn't care. I simply laid there in the dirt, crying, my wails of anguish muffled by the ground.

"You don't understand at all…" I whispered, even though she could no longer hear me.

* * *

><p>After awhile, an eerie silence settled into the courtyard. I realized all the kids has gone home. I slowly sat up, wiping the drool from my mouth with the black sleeve of my orange-and-black jacket. I opened my good eye, and noticed how dim the lighting was. I tilted my head up to see the sky coated with gray clouds, casting a dreary gloom upon the world. I grabbed onto the swing, and used it to achingly stand up. My whole body groaned with pain as I began to walk through the deserted courtyard, feeling lonely and defeated.<p>

I walked down the streets, my good eye dark and cold. A frown was on my lips, and I walked like a dead person. Being beaten had struck me hard. Harder than any physical blow. The pain of such defeat, such humiliation…was unbearable. I halted, realizing I was going the wrong direction. I had been heading home, but I realized that before I could sit in solitude, I had to meet up with Sakura. I sighed, and turned around, trudging down the streets toward her apartment. It wasn't a long walk. Soon enough I was making my way down her hall, and then I was standing in front of her door. I slowly rose a hand up, and knocked on the door. I stood there, waiting, feeling sluggish and exhausted. I wanted to slump against the wall and close my good eye, but I knew I had to pick my goggles up.

I heard noises inside the apartment, then the faint sound of footsteps. Suddenly the knob turned and the door opened. Sakura stood in front of me, grease and soot coating various areas of her rough, scarred skin. A rather beat-up steel wrench was in her hand, and I flinched at the sight of it, suddenly afraid she would attack me with it. Her jade eyes widened at the sigh of me.

"Naruto! Again?" She cried out. "What happened to you this time?"

"Fight." I answered, my voice sounding flat and weary. She sighed, and gently took my hand, leading me into her apartment.

"You sure have been having a rough time lately." She commented. _You don't know the half of it!_ I thought. She sat me back down on the couch and glanced down at her hands.

"Um, let me wash my hands first…they're…Well, they're filthy." Sakura raised her hands and I saw that her palms and the bottoms of her fingers were black.

"What have you been doing?" I asked her.

"Oh…erm…building." She replied, sounding embarrassed. Before I could say anything else, she rushed into her kitchen, and I heard the sound of a faucet being turned on. I didn't understand why she was so flustered when it came to her apparent interest in invention. My mind was too tired to contemplate it any further, though. A few minutes later Sakura returned with clean hands and her medicine supplies. I noticed the rest of her skin was still quite dirty. She set the supplies down on her coffee table. I blinked, noticing that the machine parts and papers were gone, replaced with several open books and a few drawings with a bunch of labels I couldn't decipher.

She sat down on the couch next to me, and glared at the silver-colored kunai imbedded into my shoulder and the regular black one in my back.

"Sorry Naruto, but this is gong to hurt." She told me, and grabbed the silver kunai knife. She tugged it out in one fluid motion. I hissed in pain, feeling tears well up in my good eye. She then took the regular kunai knife and yanked it out, earning a cry of agony from me. She looked at the two bloody kunai knives she held with interest, and set them down on her table, away from all her other stuff.

Sakura scooted a little closer to me, and took the zipper of my jacket in her battered hand. My good eye widened. She unzipped my jacket and slid it off of me, taking my satchel with it, and discarded them on the other end of the couch.

"What are you doing?" I cried out, blushing slightly. She raised an eyebrow.

"I need to see the wound, silly. Now take your shirt off." I blinked and stared at her.

"What?"

"Take it off. Common, it's for the sake of health." Reluctantly I took the bottom of my shirt, and began to pull it up. I glanced at her.

"Don't stare at me!" I exclaimed, my blush deepening. She huffed and turned her head away, closing her eyes. I took my orange shirt off, laying it next to my jacket. Sakura turned her head back to me, opening her eyes, and I averted my gaze to my feet, feeling extremely embarrassed and humiliated.

"Okay, now sit on the floor so I can get a better look at your back." She instructed. I stood up and made my way to an open area on the floor, and settled down, crossing my legs. She followed me and sat behind me. I stole a wary glance at her.

"Stop being so embarrassed." Sakura chided. I quickly looked away, and put my head in my hands, feeling my warm whiskered cheeks. I felt a soft wet towel press into my shoulder, then at my back, cleaning the blood off. The towel left for a few moments, the another one pressed into my wounds, and a stinging sensation erupted in my shoulder and back. I grunted in discomfort, still unused to it.

I turned my head to see her fumbling with the roll of bandages. Sakura looked up at me and smiled, and began to dress the wounds. I closed my good eye, and felt myself relax. Soon, she was done. I opened my eye and looked back at her again, to see her frowning.

"What?" I asked her.

"You're pretty bruised. You'll be sore for a few days." She told me. I twisted my head around to get a look at my body. I saw the large, dark bruises she was talking about.

"Yea…" I mumbled in reply. I honestly didn't want to think about my fight. Sakura stood up off the floor, and exited the room. I blinked, uncertain of what she was doing. I heard the sound of a drawer being open and then being closed, and she returned with something behind her back. I gave her a quizzical look. She crossed the room and sat down next to me.

"What's behind yo-" Suddenly Sakura held her hand out to me, and hanging from it were my green goggles. I stared at her outstretched hand for a moment, then took the object from her. I turned it over, and a grin slid across my face when I saw a shiny new lens in one of the eyeholes. The metal parts of my goggles also seemed shinier, like as if somebody had cleaned it and polished it to the point it gleamed. I saw my reflection in the metal. It revealed one, tired, cerulean eye, looking to be a bit darker than usual, a tan face with three whisker markings on each cheek, and a big smile. I was briefly reminded of when Shimai had shown me my demon eye in her steel blade.

"Thank you…" I whispered, and immediately fitted them onto my head. Sakura smiled at me.

"You're welcome. I can tell those goggles mean a lot to you." She paused for a moment, glancing at the goggles, then at my bandaged face. "Though, why don't you ever wear your ninja headband? I mean, maybe kids wouldn't mess with you if they knew you were a ninja. What rank are you?" My good eye widened considerably, and I was taken aback by her question. _Could I trust her and tell her the truth? Would she still be nice to me if she knew I wasn't even a ninja? Or would she betray me…? _All I could hear was the sickening laughter of children in the Academy courtyard as I fell to the dirt in utter defeat. My shoulders slumped and I lowered my gaze, hanging my head. Sakura gave me a concerned look, and rested a hand on my bare shoulder. _I guess…I need to tell her. I have to see how she'll take it. If we're going to be friends, or…whatever this is, she needs to know._

"Sakura." I murmured, voice low and sad. I could tell I had her full attention. I paused, and drew my knees up to my chest. "There's something I have to tell you." I lifted my head up and our eyes met. There was no backing out now, but even so, it was hard to get the words out. I found myself trembling under her gaze.

"What is it?" She asked me, her voice gentle. I could tell she'd noticed I shaking, and she seemed to understand we'd reached a very sensitive topic.

"I'm not a ninja." I forced out, biting my lip. My hands balled up into fists. "I'm still an Academy student." Sakura blinked several times, shock evident on her face. I buried my head in my hands, unable to meet her gaze anymore. _No! I've ruined everything! _I thought despairingly. _Why do I always mess up?_

Suddenly I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and a head rest on my uninjured shoulder. I lifted my head from my hands and looked down to see Sakura hugging me, her soft pink hair bushing against my cheek.

"It's okay." She whispered to me, her voice soft and infinitely gentle. "I won't judge you." I blinked, and suddenly I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest. I found myself leaning into her, and hugging her back, not caring that she was greasy and dirty.

"Thank you…" I breathed. We stayed like that for a few minutes until Sakura drew away. She didn't say anything for awhile. Then she looked at me again, and a smile touched her lips.

"You're still Naruto, even if you aren't a ninja." She told me. I felt my vision blur and tears escaped from my good eye, and leaked down my cheek. I quickly rose an arm up and wiped them away.

"Hey…" She continued. I looked up, my eye red and puffy. "You know, those kids won't bother you anymore." I blinked, a puzzled expression on my face.

"What do you mean? Of course they will. They're not going to sudd-"

"I'll pick you up from the Academy tomorrow." That stopped me in my tracks. I stared at her in awe. Her generosity would never seize to amaze me.

"Really?" I asked, a part of me still unable to believe it. She laughed.

"Definitely. If they try to hurt you, they'll be answering to my fist."

"You're very kind to me." I told her. "Why?"

"It's been a long three years. I've had my share of struggles, and I won't stand idly by and let others suffer. You're a great kid, and I wished I could have realized that back in the Academy." Sakura smiled and tilted her head up to look at the ceiling. "Sometimes I wondered how you were doing. I saw everybody I knew back in the Academy a lot, but I never saw you." I felt something stirring deep inside me by her words. I smiled.

"I haven't felt happy at all these past three years." I admitted. "But when I'm with you, you...You brighten my day. I don't know why." I saw a grin come onto her face

"I'm glad to hear that." Sakura glanced at the clock mounted on the wall for a moment, them stood up, and made her way over to the couch. She picked my jacket, shirt, and satchel up and brought them over to me. "Here. Put your clothes back on. I'll walk you home." I blinked, and realized I was still shirtless.

"Oh…" I felt a blush forming on my cheeks. "Right." I quickly took my clothes from her and slid my shirt and jacket on. I fumbled wit the zipper for a moment, then managed to zip it up. I mounted my satchel on my good shoulder, the strap crossing my chest and the satchel itself hanging at my waist. I stood up, smiling still. I looked at the clock and blinked. _Wow, it's late. It's already six. I must have been lying in the dirt longer than I had anticipated._ I thought. The Academy days often ended at around four or so.

"It's going to be getting dark out." I reminded Sakura, my voice edged with fear. I was afraid of walking the Konoha streets at night. I would never tell anybody though, since I knew that I would be made fun of. A ninja shouldn't be scared of the dark. But I wasn't a ninja, and I'll admit I was a bit paranoid.

"So? I can navigate pretty good in the dark. Common. I'll keep you safe." She reassured me, and crossed the room toward the door, She opened it, and I followed her out. I watched as she withdrew her silver key and locked the door.

"You know, a lock won't do much good in a village full of ninja." I pointed out. She shrugged.

"Better than nothing, eh? Besides, not everybody's a ninja." She replied, smiling at me. I flinched at her last comment.

"Right." I grunted. We exited her apartment complex into the streets of Konoha. The sky was still coated with dreary gray clouds, and darkness was descending heavily on the village. The streets were deserted, and an eerie quiet had settled in. I glanced around, unnerved. I kept expecting somebody to leap out from the shadows and attack me. I turned left, heading for home. Sakura walked beside me, her attention focused on our surroundings. I noticed how her eyes lingered on any bit of machinery we passed.

We continued walking through the dark streets in silence. I had a feeling we were being watched, but every time I turned my head to look I saw nothing but shadows. Sakura kept stealing glances at me, looking a bit uneasy over my skittish behavior. I noticed how her hand hovered over the black kunai holster she had strapped around her leg. Finally, she broke the ice.

"What's wrong?" She asked me. I blinked, startled by the sound of her voice, but I quickly recovered.

"I think we're being watched." I admitted. Immediately she whipped out her knife, scaring me half to death.

"What are you-!"

"Shh!" She frantically waved her hand at me, an intent look on her face. She crouched down and crept toward an alleyway. I stood there, a bewildered and terrified expression on my face. _What's going on?_ I wondered. She poked her head in the alleyway, peering into the darkness. Suddenly a black cat shot out, earning a yelp of alarm from Sakura. She fell over as the cat raced across the street, disappearing into the night. I burst out laughing and she blushed, standing back up and sheathing her knife.

"It's not funny!" She grumbled. "It could've been an enemy!"

"Yea, right." I laughed. She rolled her eyes and strode back over to me.

"You know, _you_ were the one who thought we were being watched." She pointed out. I paused for a moment.

"Well! That doesn't mean….You…Oh, never mind!" I spluttered out. She laughed and continued down the street, a slight skip to her step. I followed, smiling, my mood brightened.

I glanced down at my satchel, and blinked when I remembered something. Quickly I angled my body away from Sakura so she wouldn't see what I was doing and unbuttoned it. I opened the flap and withdrew a sheet of paper. I stared at it for a moment, reading the name that had been written at the top. It was obviously Tachiki's sloppy handwriting.

NARUTO UZUMAKI.

For some reason I was touched that he'd gone through and written my name on it, like as if he knew I'd lost it. It was sweet of him.

Suddenly I became aware of Sakura's head poking over my shoulder.

"What's that?" She asked, her voice full of curiosity. I jumped a little at the sound of her voice, and quickly stuffed the paper back in my satchel.

"Nothing!" I shouted in reply. She rested her hands on her narrow hips and gave me an unconvinced look. I sighed and reluctantly took paper back out. "Okay…It's…homework…"

"Oh. You need any help with it?"

"Erm, I don't know. I haven't started it yet. It was due a week ago." I confessed, looking away. She gave me a stern look that made me feel a bit ashamed for not doing it.

"You need to get that done. Let me take a look at it." I hesitated for a moment, then handed the paper over and she took it. She skimmed it, looking amused and a little baffled.

"This is super easy. Why didn't you do it?" She asked me, sounding puzzled. I shrugged, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious.

"Don't really care about it." I replied. She handed the paper back to me, and crossed her arms over her red sleeveless shirt.

"You need to do your homework It's important." She told me. I shrugged again, and placed it back in satchel.

"I know, you don't have to remind me." I sighed, and continued walking, my hands thrust into my orange pockets. She followed me, frowning slightly. I knew I'd disappointed her a bit. I felt a little bad about that, but I couldn't help it. I really didn't care about my homework. _If you don't care, then why did you bother to take it out?_ A little voice asked me. I clenched my teeth and my hands balled up into fists. _Shut up._

Suddenly a drop of water landed on my nose. Then another. I looked up and watched as it began to rain. Water drizzled down from the cloudy gray sky onto us. Sakura huffed and raised her hands up over her head, as if that would help any.

"It's raining." She grumbled. I rolled my eyes. _Obviously._

"I don't think your hands are big enough to shield you from the rain." I observed. She shrugged.

"Best I've got." She replied. I took my satchel off and jammed it between my knees, then I unzipped my jacket and took it off. I grabbed my satchel and slung it over my shoulder again. She opened her mouth, probably to ask me what I was doing, when I stepped behind her and raised my jacket over both our heads. A small smile touched her lips.

"Now you've got better." I laughed. Her smile widened.

"Hm, you may not do homework, but you are certainly still a sweetheart, just like back in the Academy." I blushed at her comment, and we continued walking along, Sakura leading the way this time, while I told her where to go. I could tell she wasn't disappointed in me anymore, and that made me happy for some reason. Of course, my jacket became soaking wet and dripped on us a bit, but it was significantly better than facing the rain itself.

Eventually we reached the rusty green stairs that led to my apartment complex. We ascended the steps and I lowered my jacket to where it hung limp at my side. There was a roof over our heads now, so we would be fine.

"This is your apartment complex?" Sakura eyed the place, an interested look on her face.

"Yea…It's not much, really." I replied. Just the mere sight of the place made me nauseous. _I won't be living here much longer._ I thought bitterly. I shook the dark thoughts out of my head and strode over to my door. I smiled at her.

"Thanks for walking me home." I dipped my head in gratitude to her. "You're a pretty big sweetheart too." She grinned at the compliment.

"You're welcome, and thanks. I'll see you later." She waved at me and began making her way toward the steps. I watched her depart for a few moments, then a frown tugged at the corner of my lip. _It's raining pretty hard now._ I thought, staring at the water pounding down upon the street.

"Hey!" I called to her. "Do you want to come in for a bit? It's raining pretty bad" She was halfway down the stairs and turned back to me. I noticed how she was sopping wet now.

"Nah, I'm fine! This is nothing!" She hollered back to me. "But thanks anyway. And don't forget the homework!"

"Alright…Bye!"

"Bye!" She continued to descend the steps, and I turned away. _How can you be so cool about walking back home in this downpour?_ I thought incredulously. _Sakura must have faced some pretty bad storms in the past._ I dug around in my satchel for my old beat-up key. Thankfully I found it tucked in it's usual corner, and withdrew it. It wasn't a gleaming silver like Sakura's, that was for sure. In fact, it looked rather old and was a tad rusty. I didn't mind though. I stuck it into the lock and turned it, remembering what I'd told her when she had locked her door. _"You know, a lock won't do much good in a village full of ninja." _That brought a smile to my face. _Yet, I have one too. Oh well._

There was a tiny click and I opened the door, stepping inside. I was greeted with a pitch dark home. I flicked the light switch on and grimaced at the chaotic mess that littered the carpet floor. Trash, wads of paper, a few clothes, candy wrappers, and empty ramen cups were what mostly occupied it. Unlike Sakura's, my coffee table wasn't cluttered with objects. One solitary piece of paper lay on it, along with an orange pencil and a pink eraser. There was a drawing of myself on the paper, a bit sloppy and incomplete, but quite detailed.

I was tempted to sit down and work on it, but then I remembered the soaking wet jacket in my hands. I kicked off my black sandals and rushed into the kitchen, heading toward the sink. I held my jacket over it, and tried to wring the water out of it. A bit of it was squeezed out, leaking down the drain, but most of it still clung on.

"You just want to be difficult." I grumbled indignantly. I quickly gave up and draped the jacket on a wooden chair, hoping it would be dry by morning. Sighing, I made my way back into the living room and plopped down on the soft carpet floor next to the coffee table. I pushed my drawing to the side and withdrew my homework. When I placed it on the table, I remembered how disappointed Sakura was in me for not doing it. _Well, I will do it._ I promised myself, and picked up my pencil.

I stared at the first question for awhile, reading it over and over again. A scowl was on my face and I absentmindedly gnawed on the end of my pencil. I didn't understand it at all.

"The trajectory of a shuriken…" I murmured, sounding confused. I decided to skip it and go on to the next one which didn't work out too well. _I understand this one even less than the first one!_ I thought. I stared at the problem for a good five minutes until I found myself skipping it, too. I ended up reading all the questions, and the confusion I felt at the end was enormous.

"I don't understand any of this!" I snarled. In my frustration I found myself crumbling up the paper and flinging it violently to the floor. My head collapsed onto the coffee table, and I suddenly became aware of just how weary I was. The battle with Shimai, the stress of losing my money, the talk I had with Sakura, the shame I felt at not doing my stupid homework, and the aching pain of my wounds made me close my eyes, and wrap my arms around my head. Before I knew it, I was tumbling into a world of cold, dark blackness, engulfed in it's lifeless depths of nothingness.

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><p>AN: That was alot! Phew! Hope you guys liked it, I seriously enjoyed writing it. Especially the fight scene! Muhahaha! Okay, Shimai is powerful, but not "Heh, I can kill everybody in this story." She's crafty, indeed. I'll admit her saying Naruto's eye was red was a bit random, but it was a good diversionary tactic, but she was also genuinely confused about it. I swear, the steel blade was a dirty trick, though. :)

I hope you all enjoyed the bits of NaruSaku in here! I was smiling while writing 'em. They are so cute :). Naruto now trusts Sakura, cause 'member in the beginning he was pretty wary, but now he's kind of getting to trust her. She's certainly proved she can be trusted by helping him out so much!

I'm jumping around a bit here, and some of you may be curious as to why Sakura gets all embarrassed about her interest in machines. Well, there's a whole story to that, too. Naruto's not going to hog the angsty spotlight, I can assure you! Okay, he will, but Sakura will get her turn! In due time, my fellow fanfictioneers, in due time.

I'm rambling a little bit here, but I just wanted to chat 'bout the chapter. Oh well. Simply put, there are a good number of unanswered questions to be revealed!

See you guys till the next chapter! (Oh gosh, how long will the next one BE? I have a habit of starting out with little chapters THEN THEY KEEP GROWING!) o.O Well...Midterms are next week, so I'll be a bit preoccupied, but I always have time to spare to write. Let me formulate my ideas, and I'll set to work!

*waves* Bye ya'll! (this chapter is now over 8k words long due to my big A/N's o.O)


	4. Chapter 4  My Fault My Fault

A/N: Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh, WHAT MONTH IS IT! *grabs calendar at stares at the date* WHOA, WHERE HAVE I BEEN? IT'S MARCH! 3 flippin months!

*cough* Well, if you must know...

It was winter, okay? I was hibernating! Sheesh!

Alright, alright, I was working my novel, my art, ect. See, it's just hard to run more than one story. I'll either work on one more than the other. *shrugs* I'm not a Multi-tasker. BUT! I decided to go ahead and finish up this chapter that was ALMOST DONE..for quite awhile. Why? Because, well, I felt like writing, and I din't feel like working on my novel, (Just wasn't in the mood for my epic wolfies). so, I pulled this up and finished it. Now, onto the reviews, which, I'll have to look over again.. Sorry, It's been awhile!

xPaperheartsx: Yea, the NaruSaku parts were pretty cute. I smiled at them myself. And yea, Shimai is pretty mean. But, I have a feeling ther'es just something _more _to her, eh? Sorry 't'have kept ya waiting for so long. Then again, isn't there that old saying "Leave the audience wanting more?" Or maybe that only applied in this book I read...Oh well. *Tips hat that I don't wear* Rawr to you too. Yes, I'm awfully hyper for 3 AM :P.

Bellum: Why yes, it is. :). Don't'cha just love stories like that? *claps hands together* Hopefully this one keeps up the pattern up! Glad you're enjoying it!

8Dwriter-in-training8D - Oh, hey, glad you like it so much. *shuffles feet awkwardly* Yea, I suppose the wait was killer, eh? D'ya think skimping out on winter is rather long? *winks* And sure, I might check out your stuff sometime. Writing just takes lotsa practice, and lotsa detail, and, well, lots of other stuff. I mostly learned from books, actually. Teachers really aren't much help to me when it comes to writing. 'Tis all grammar. Well, i hope you enjoy this installment! *waves*

crazywolf1991 - Haha, thanks. Glad you like it. I hadn't actually thought of this story as an AU, but then again, I suppose it is, isn't it? I put in a pretty big twist ;). Though, I'm not really a big fan of harems, and I must agree with you NaruHina isn't all that good ;). I think NaruSaku's the best *pumps fist into the air*

xx-Silent Ookami-Xx - Thank you very much, I highly appreciate your review. I'm glad my story is good enough to catch you eye. Thanks :). Yea, I come up with pretty good story ideas, eh? *waggles eyebrows* Epicness. I actually have a lot of other NaruSaku story ideas, but I have to finish this first, eh? Well, I'm glad you like my little OC, Shimai :P. She does seem a bit like Sasuke and Ino combined, eh? A bit of a scary combo! I suppose she might be able to knock some sense into him, or she could knock all of his sense out of him. She's capable of doing both! Oh, and I'm glad you like my version of Sakura! Yea, I really hate it when people go way overboard with the violent comedy and transform her into some sort of crazy punching machine. Or punches at the wrong moments. Or just making her irrationality hateful. O.o. But, I think I did a pretty good job of handling her. And no, haha, this won't be a harem or anything. It'll be pure Narusaku :P. I'm not a big fan of harems myself, heh.

Pink Vixen - Yay! i'm glad I could draw you into something you're not usually into. Makes my story, special, eh? *feels proud*. Ah, well, I'm glad you like my Sakura here! Yes, I've always thought it was cool when people changed up the characters' talents. Sakura just seems so epic here :D. Hope you like this chapter, too! :P

Eto117 - Well, I'm always real mean to charries when I'm pulling the puppet strings on them *creepy evil grin* so who knows? And yes! *claps hands* Shimai _does _act the way she does for a reason! But that reason isn't in this chapter * disappointment* but it'll be shown soon enough! And the story is called Dead for a bit of a symbolic/metaphoric thing. It's supposed to represent how the Naruto we all knew and loved died when he killed his dreams. :) (wait is it appropriate to smile there?) I mean...:(. So, I'm glad you're liking the story! *cheers*

JKArcanus - Alright, well, let me tell you now: the story's really not done yet. A lot of the things you pointed out could be things that could be revealed in the future. Some of it is hinted at throughout the story. There's just things yet to come. To be honest, Naruto struck me as a bit of a dumb kid in the Academy. He had his strengths, I'll admit, but in reality, he was pretty bad. *Shrugs* Or maybe I decided to make him weaker here. Who knows? And Naruto's childishness is actually a part of his cannon personality. The reason he's more-so childish here, still acting pretty 12-year-old-ish, is probably because he hasn't been through all he has in the Naruto Series. What Naruto went through in the series made him grow up really fast, but since he never went through any of that, he's still stuck in his own little world, pretty much. And, in my opinion, bullies will bully anybody who's weaker than them, regardless of height or age. It's not about how old you look or how tall you are, it's how your carry yourself. Naruto may look older, but he doesn't really strut around with any confidence. He kind of just slinks around, looking a bit down in the dumps. When people are depressed, they're vulnerable, which makes them a more likely target to the bullies. And, well, the sensei's name is Tachiki...I mean, h'es not just some random guy, he's an OC charrie. Believe it or not, sometimes people can remain so oblivious for pretty long. It takes a big event to snap them out of it. In this chapter, we actually see a bit more of Tachiki's side of things. Why does he care now? Well, it's actually hinted at in this chapter that Tachiki found out about Shimai and the others. That's the 'big even't that makes him kind of start to realize that he' really been a bad teacher to Naruto. And, well, Sarutobi and Jiraiya aren't here here yet. Sarutobi's all busy being Hokage for the moment, and Jiraiya's off doing whatever he was doing before he met Naruto, pretty much :). And the council? Well, all they have to do is keep Naruto confined in the village, and everybody else should protect him. If you think bout it, the council could think in this story that Naruto might turn against hi if he were trained too good, since he's been mistreated and all. Oh, and how does he know about the fox? That, my good friend, is a flashback saved for later :).

Thanks for your input, though. It really did help me write this chapter. I'm glad you like the premise.

Amurru - Pardon me sir, but I don't believe you've really read into the story. Just because I don't make Naruto super strong and sexy and awesome and able to kick everybody's butt doesn't make it a bad story. Naruto's supposed to be weak here. If he were all of the above, we couldn't exactly have this story. This story is more emotionally-oriented than action. Naruto doesn't train, because why should he? Why should he? Read the story again, and look deeper than just the words. He's depressed. He doesn't care anymore. Why should he care enough to train? What's the point anymore? He believes he'll never amount to anything, so what's the point in trying? That's how he feels. And I think Naruto might be able to beat a six year old pretty well with his size, probably. His size is a great advantage against these kiddies. ;).

Bellum - Yea, I think some people aren't exactly the most avid readers, so they're not very good and looking deeper than just the images conveyed with words. Some people miss all the emotion, ya know? But i'ts okay. I don't mind their input. Thanks for jumping to my defense :).

King nintendo - Yay, hey. Glad you're still keeping up with this story. Her'es the next installment!

*cough* It's almost 4 AM now. Dang, reviews take awhile. Anyways, finally, onto the story! We actually see Sakura's point of view in this. I thought that would be interesting to write.

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><p><em>"It's all my fault...I'm...I'm so sorry...I've failed you."<em>

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><p>Chapter Four - My Fault My Fault<p>

The constant drip of water sounded in my ears. _Great. The faucet is leaking again._ I thought, annoyed. I opened my good eye, expecting to see my trashy apartment, but what I saw instead took me completely by surprise.

I was standing on top of water, surrounded by endless blackness. I looked down at my feet, my good eye wide. _Where am I?_ I wondered, staring at my surroundings incredulously. I took a step forward, expecting to plunge into the water's dark depths, but my foot collided with the surface like as if it were solid ground. _I'm not using chakra though…_ I mused. My eyebrows knitted together in confusion, and I twisted around, but the darkness surrounded me on all sides.

"I must be dreaming…" I murmured, my voice echoing faintly into the foreboding blackness. I was beginning to wonder what the purpose of the dream was when a shape began to form in the water. I took a step back, startled. The shape shifted into a humanoid form, and soon enough I was staring back at myself. The thing was though, it wasn't exactly me. It was me when I was twelve, a foxy, mischievous grin on my face. There was a playful gleam in my cerulean eyes, and I was wearing the bright colors of orange and blue. I stared at the refection, uncertain of what to think.

Suddenly light emitted from beneath the water, but it never came over the surface. Mystified, I bent down to dip my hand in the water, only for it to collide with the surface just like my feet. I stared at the water quizzically. _It's like glass, but it's clearly water. What is going on here?_ I wondered. Suddenly my younger reflection turned his head to me, the smile having faded. His expression was serious, and perhaps a bit lonesome, too.

"You cannot join me." He told me, his voice sounding more older than he looked. I blinked.

"What? Why?" I asked him. "Why can't I go through?"

"You're too far gone." He replied, his voice sounding distant. I scowled, a frown creasing my face.

"What are you talking about? I'm right here!" I yelled. The reflection didn't answer, but simply placed his hand below mine. The water served as a barrier between us, so we didn't touch. I noticed how small his hand was compared to mine. He smiled sadly at me.

"No, you aren't." His shape began to waver, and the surface rippled. The light swirled around him, and he faded away, leaving me alone in the darkness.

"Wait!" I called after him, slamming my hands down on the surface of the water. The water didn't budge, but he was already gone.

My good eye flung right open, and thankfully I was greeted with my apartment. I raised my head, and realized I'd fallen asleep at the coffee table. Light shined in from my bedroom window in the other room, and I squinted at it, my confusion over my dream still lingering. I had a feeling my dream wasn't just a dream - there was something important about it that I couldn't quite place my finger on. I scratched my head, feeling my greasy, tangled blonde hair. I rubbed my eyes and stood up, swaying slightly. My body ached and it hurt to move, but I dragged myself into my bedroom anyways and plopped down onto the bed. I laid there for a few moments, when suddenly I remembered something. _Don't I have to go to the Academy today?_ My head turned sharply to the clock sitting on my dresser, and my good eye widened considerably.

1:46 PM. I was _so_ late. I sat up, wincing as my body moaned in protest. I shuffled out of my bedroom, searching for my sandals. I found them lying near the front door, their soles muddy after walking around in yesterday's rain. I picked them up and stuck them on my feet anyways, and raced into the kitchen to grab my jacket. My shoulders slumped when I touched it and felt how damp it was.

"Ugh…" I sighed. "I hope it's not going to be cold today." I left it lying there and made my way back into my bedroom, stepping on a few empty ramen cups on the way. I slid my closet door open and grabbed a long-sleeve black shirt. Then I took off my orange one and slid it on. Afterward I put the orange shirt back on, feeling a little warmer.

I rushed back to the living room and grabbed my satchel off the coffee table, slinging it on. _Now I'm ready to go. Of course, I'm extremely late, but hey, I'll still be there._ I thought. _And I didn't have breakfast either. Ah, well, I'm out of food anyways, so it doesn't really matter._

I stepped out onto my porch, and headed toward the stairs. I remembered how Sakura had gone home in the downpour of the heavy rain, descending the same steps as I was now. _I hope she's okay. She must have come home soaking wet. It's never fun to be soaking wet like that._ I frowned, stepping onto the busy street. The skies were still cloudy, but the sun managed to shine anyways, though not as brightly. I lowered my head, still feeling tired, and walked down the street toward the Academy.

I hate being late. It doesn't seem so bad at first, but when you walk into the classroom, it's terrible. Everybody's eyes are on you, and all conversation just stops. That's how it was for me when I came into class. Tachiki was sitting on his desk, a journal filled with writing in his hands. He'd been reading it, and had stopped in mid-sentence when he heard me enter.

"Uzumaki. You're late." He glanced at the clock. _"Very_ late."

"I'm sorry, Tachiki-sensei. I slept in." I apologized. I expected him to continue chewing me out for being late, but he simply nodded toward my desk.

"I understand. Sit down." I gave him a strange look, and he returned it, sympathy in his brown eyes. I tensed and headed toward my desk, feeling everybody's eyes on me. I glared at the teacher as I sat down, and he averted his eyes.

"Now, to fill you in, I'm just reading Shimai's journal out loud. We wrote a quick paragraph on an ideal way to use a forest terrain for defense. Well, Shimai actually wrote...several paragraphs, but they're excellent. I suggest you tune in for once, Uzumaki, this might be extremely useful in the future." He explained. I gave him another odd look. There was a knowing gleam in his eyes, one that unsettled me. _Maybe Iruka-sensei told him about the rock incident._ I thought, a thoughtful expression on my face. Tachiki turned his attention back to the journal, and I'll admit I _tried_ to listen. Really, I did. But, unfortunately, my attention wavered and my gaze slid to the tree outside. I stared out the window, my chin propped up by the palm of my hand. Vaguely I heard Tachiki shut the journal and tell the class they could just hang and chat for a bit while he graded papers. But, my attention was focused on the tree sitting outside, cast in dreary dimness by the clouds. My swing hung from one of the branches, looking a tad lonesome.

"Uzumaki." A voice called in front of me. I didn't respond until a had grabbed my shoulder and shook me. "Hey, don't fall asleep." My gaze slid up to see my teacher, his brown eyes gleaming in the dim light. He scratched his head, running his hand absentmindedly over his short brown hair.

"What is it?" I asked him. He rested a piece of paper on my desk.

"Homework." He replied. I groaned.

"_Homework?" _I repeated. I was seriously not in the mood for homework. _Then again, I never really am._

"Yea…Listen, Naruto." He rested his hands on my desk and leaned up against it, a frown on his face. "I think this one might be a little easier. It's on how terrain can affect a battle. I think you might be up for this one. If you act out the situations the questions describe, you might get it." I glared at him with my good eye, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Tachiki-sensei, why are you sticking your neck our for me like this?" I asked him. His eyebrows raised up.

"What?"

"You heard me." I learned forward, staring intently at him. "Why are you so gentle to me now?" His shoulders slumped, and he pulled a chair over to my desk and sat down. I gave him a strange look. _He must have a lot to say or something._ I thought, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Tachiki gave me a faint smile.

"You certainly don't beat around the bush." The smile disappeared as fast as it had came, and he sighed. "Three years ago. You walked into my class filled with such…hope that first day. Proclaiming that you would be the next Hokage, and the greatest ninja ever." He laughed, but he didn't sound amused. Then his face darkened. "I saw the effort you put into your work. You really did try, but you just didn't seem to wrap your head around things. I hated grading your papers…The answers were wrong, and you just didn't understand this or that, but you tried to." He rested his head in his hands, a gesture that I had never expected somebody like him to make.

"I was so stupid. I didn't help you. And then…you failed your first year. The second year struck, and you began to slip. I saw less and less effort. You didn't pay attention as often as you used to. Sometimes you didn't do your homework at all. And me, I…I just let it happen." His nails dug into his forehead. "Now, here we are, year three. And you don't care at all. I think I crushed your dreams." I was shocked by his revelation. I sat there, uncertain of how to respond. Thankfully the rest of the class was submerged in their own little worlds, so nobody noticed Tachiki's upset state. I found myself reaching a hand forward, and resting it on his shoulder, feeling the soft cotton of his brown jacket. It felt strange to be comforting a teacher. Very strange.

"Tachiki-sensei…" I whispered. "It's okay. You're a great teacher, really. You didn't crush my dreams." I paused for a moment, and Tachiki lifted his head, staring at me. I held his gaze, and forced the next words out of my mouth. Brutal honesty.

"I crushed them myself." His eyes widened, and I averted my good eye away.

"Naruto…" He murmured, but I rested my head on my desk, wrapping my arms around it.

"Go away." I pleaded, my voice sounding muffled. "We've talked enough." Thankfully Tachiki obeyed and stood up, taking the chair away with him. He retreated back to his desk, not even glancing back at me. My nails dug into the wood of my desk, and my eyebrows knitted together. The new homework assignment laid in front of me, and it seemed to laugh at me. _You're no good. _It sneered. I beat a fist down on the desk. A few heads turned to me in surprise, but quickly left. _My dreams aren't dreams anymore. They're the fantasies of a naïve little kid. They don't mean anything to me anymore. Hokage? That's a joke. Greatest ninja ever? That's stupid._ I withdrew an arm from my head and found myself clutching my shirt where my heart was. _If they're meaningless…Then why does it hurt so much to have them killed?_

The rest of the day slipped idly on by. Tachiki carried on with his lesson after grading everybody's work, but I wasn't paying attention. I still had my head on my desk when the bell rang. Everybody bustled out, and I slowly rose from my seat, my eyes downcast and my gaze dark. I walked out of the class behind all the other kids, and Tachiki gave me a surprised look. It was unusual for me to not wait a few moments. But I had no desire to stay in the Academy that day. I found myself longing to see Sakura. She had managed to make me feel better the past two days.

I exited the Academy and found myself standing in the courtyard. The crowd of kids quickly broke up into their own little groups, paying me no attention. I skirted around all the kids, clinging to the bushes until I reached the tree that held my swing on it. I slid my gaze warily across the crowd, searching for Shimai. I saw her sitting in a few bushes with her friends, talking and laughing. Shimai's laughter halted abruptly when she noticed me looking at her. Her eyes narrowed and she glared at me. I shied away from her cold gaze, and hid behind the tree.

"Where is Sakura?" I wondered out loud, my voice barely above a whisper. _Shouldn't she be here by now?_

Before I could contemplate it further, a blonde-haired girl grabbed my shirt and tugged me to the ground. I blinked in confusion and scrambled to my feet to see Shimai's smiling face.

"Hey." She greeted me. I stepped back warily.

"Hello?" I replied, my voice quivering. She laughed and leaned against the tree.

"You took a good beating from me yesterday. Are you going to try and snag your money back again?" Shimai asked me.

"No." I answered dejectedly. She laughed again, and I flinched, lowering my head.

"So you know you're no match for me." Suddenly I felt a hand clasp around my throat and slam me against the tree trunk. I gasped, feeling the rough bark dig into my skin through my shirt. I found myself staring into the cold green eyes of my tormentor, which was probably the most frightening thing I've ever seen. The smile faded away from her face, replaced with a frown and a scowl.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" I rasped, my voice sounding hoarse. I grabbed her arm, vainly trying to pull her hand away. She huffed at my attempts and simply pushed harder. I gagged, and struggled against her, but it was no use.

"Why can't you just work? Stop being lazy. The Academy doesn't need idiots like you! Tachiki-sensei should just throw you to the curb! You're useless and won't amount to anything good." Her words pierced my heart, and I stared at her. My breathing was slow and shaky, and I found myself unable to respond. I stared into her angry face, trying to make sense of the mixture of emotions in her green eyes. I was so transfixed by her venomous gaze that I didn't even notice the red blur that appeared behind her.

A familiar, rough scarred hand slid around Shimai's own throat and yanked her away from me. The blonde-haired Academy student cried out as she fell to the ground. Before me stood a pink-haired girl, a smirk adorning her dirty, greasy face. Her jade green eyes gleamed in the sunlight, staring into my own.

"Sakura…" I whispered. Her smirk transformed into a grin.

"Hey, I came at just the right time." She laughed. Shimai struggled to her feet, glaring viciously at Sakura.

"Who are _you?" _She sneered. Sakura dipped her head and tapped the forehead protector she wore on top. The bloodstained, scratched metal shined in the sun just as brightly as her eyes. Shimai was silent, staring at it. There was fury in her gaze, but I could detect a hint of interest, too.

"Sakura Haruno. Chunin." The pink-haired girl introduced herself. Shimai looked surprised, probably by her rank.

"Shimai Shiri." She glanced back at me, then Sakura. "Are you his friend or something?"

"I suppose we're friends. And I don't approve of you strangling him." Sakura raised her head and glared at the blonde-haired girl, a dangerous glint in her eyes that I had never seen before. Shimai took a step back, unnerved.

"What are you going to do about it?" She asked.

"Well, I've already stopped you, so I'm done here. Unless, of course, you'd like to continue." Shimai didn't respond for a few moments, looking like she were debating whether or not she could take Sakura on. But, Sakura didn't give her a chance to make up her mind, and lunged forward. Shimai staggered back in time to just barely miss her fist, but then Sakura brought her foot up and caught the Academy student in the stomach. The blonde girl crashed into the dirt, looking dazed. Sakura laughed and strode forward, her hands resting against her hips.

"Not so tough now, are you? I'm a Chunin, kid. You don't stand a chance." She told her. Shimai struggled to her feet, a furious expression on her face.

"Oh, REALLY NOW?" She yelled, and charged at Sakura. My eyes widened. Was she insane? _She's letting her anger take over. Kind of like how I did yesterday. She must really feel humiliated after being shoved down so easily._ Sakura grabbed Shimai's blue jacket and slammed her against the tree. Shimai cried out and tried to wriggle out of Sakura's grasp, but the pink-haired kunoichi's grip was too tight.

"Yield now." She commanded. My good eye widened in horror when I noticed a brown-haired kid rise from the bushes behind Sakura next to the building. There was a rock in his hand, and he leaned his arm back, preparing to throw. One of Shimai's friends. Sakura was too focused on the Academy student she had pushed against the tree to notice. She was completely oblivious!

"Sakura!" I screamed just as the rock flew from the boy's grasp. "WATCH OUT!" Sakura began to turn her head, but it was too late. A sickening feeling slammed into my stomach when I saw her eyes widen and the rock collide with her head. I heard a huge _THWONK! _as it smacked her skull, and she released Shimai. She fell forward, and I race over to catch her, horror sinking into every nook and cranny of my being. Shimai stepped away from the tree, and glanced at me, Sakura, and finally, the brown-haired boy. She gave him a thumbs up.

"Thanks for saving me, Kaigetsu!" She called out. The boy nodded, his expression grim. He turned his head away, and sank back into the bushes. I thought I saw a flash of guilt in his onyx eyes, but it was probably my imagination.

I collapsed to my knees, Sakura bundled up in my arms. I stared at her now-bloody head, feeling myself trembling. Her eyes were closed, and her skin was pale. I tightened my grip on her, and turned my head to Shimai.

"How can you possibly support this? She's my friend! And…he...he…He _shot_ her!" I stuttered, feeling a familiar rage boiling up within me. Shimai frowned, and glanced at the bushes where Kaigetsu sat.

"He's my friend. Wouldn't you help a friend in trouble?" She replied, raising a thin eyebrow.

"Of course I would…but…"

"But nothing. That's exactly what he did." She turned her back to me, and strode away to the bushes where Kaigetsu sat. I watched her go, and slowly turned my gaze back to Sakura. Sighing, I stood up, staring at her pained face. Warm, sticky liquid seeped into the fabric of my shirt, but I didn't care.

"Sakura…" I whispered, my eyebrows tilting up. "I…" I lowered my head, and began to walk, my legs feeling like lead. Kids shuffled out of the way as I passed by, and I exited the Academy courtyard. I halted, feeling tears well up in my eyes. They ran down my cheeks and dripped onto her.

"I'm so sorry…" I choked out, and found myself bolting forward down the street. People gave me startled looks as I raced past them, and I bounded down the streets with the speed of lightning, despite the heavy feeling in my legs. The sun broke through the clouds and shined brightly in the sky, but its warmth didn't touch my skin.

"It's all my fault!" I cried out, holding her closer as I ran. My shoulders began to rack with sobs and I gritted my teeth, holding her tighter. My apartment complex came within view, and I pushed myself even faster, breaking out into a full sprint. My feet pounded so hard into the dirt that they hurt, despite my black sandals.

I charged up the stairs of my apartment complex, nearly tripping. I steadied myself and slowed down as I crossed my porch toward my door. Forcing myself to control my sobs, I adjusted Sakura's position and dug a hand into my satchel, withdrawing my grimy key. I stretched an arm out, her bloody head propped up on it, and unlocked my door. I opened it and stepped inside. Then I made my way through the house to my bedroom and set her gently down on it. I frowned at the blood leaking out of her head.

"Sakura…" I sighed, and closed my good eye, trying to remember how she treated wounds. Thankfully my memory was able to click all the steps together, and I rushed into the kitchen to grab a towel. I held it under the sink and water soaked into it. I wrung a bit of it out, and made my way back to her. _I…I can't believe this. Why would…No. I know why. He was protecting a friend. And she was protecting me. But still…Why did it have to be like that?_ I shook my head in an attempt to rid the thoughts from my mind. I couldn't think about that right now. Sakura needed my help.

I sat down on the bed with my feet tucked underneath me, and I dragged her over to where her head rested in my lap. I turned her around - Kaigetsu had struck her in the back of the head, and stared in horror at the blood for a moment. _I never really pictured her like this. I know she gets 'down and dirty' on the jobs and all, but I never imagined her bloody and beaten. It's so…terrible-looking. _I rested a hand on her head, and stroked her hair with it. It was greasy and tangled to the touch, like my hair. _I really never expected a softie like you to become such a rough and tough ninja. It's kind of cool. But I wish you hadn't…No. Don't think about that now._ I shook my head again, and set to work.

I began scrubbing the blood off her head, trying to be as careful as possible. It was harder with it being in her hair and all, but I managed to get most of it off. I tried to fight down the sick feeling in my stomach at the sight of it. He had hit her _hard._ I didn't like that at all.

I left the bed and entered the bathroom. I opened the medicine cabinet and scrabbled around for some of that disinfecting stuff Sakura used - I knew I had some. Then I found a bottle of it lying in a corner. It was a halfway empty, but hopefully it would be enough. I grabbed it and snatched a towel on my way out of the bathroom. My shoulders slumped, and for a moment, my muscles relaxed. I smiled. _At least I can do something right._

Unfortunately, the process off patching Sakura up had taken a little more work than I had anticipated, but I managed to do it. Now I sat at the edge of my bed, staring at my feet. Sakura laid on the same bed with her now-bandaged head resting on the pillow. She had looked a little cold, so I had covered her up with a few of my blankets.

_It's all my fault…_ I thought sadly. _All my fault, all my fault, all my fault. Me. I could blame it on that Kaigetsu kid, but really, it's me. I let her come. I couldn't stick up for myself. She had to step in…and get hurt. Because of me._ I felt tears beginning to well up in my good eye, and I let them slide down my cheek and run down my chin and neck. They dripped onto my shirt, but I didn't care. I kicked off my sandals and ripped my goggles off, staring at the new lens and gleaming metal. She had done it for me. It was such a nice gift…And yet she was still whammed in the head with a rock, regardless of how kind she was.

"You shouldn't have bothered to help me…" I murmured under my breath, my voice cracking. It would have been okay if she hadn't shown up. I could've just gotten beaten up again. No big deal. As long as she wasn't hurt, it would've been okay. It would've been…okay.

I found myself leaning back and laying down. It was a little strange - laying near Sakura's feet, out of all places, but I didn't care. I closed my good eye and felt myself begin to drift away, with one lone thought repeating in my head before I drowned in a river of darkness.

_It's all my fault…._

The first thing I felt was the pain. Even before I opened my eyes, I could feel an agonizing ache at the back of my head. It was like a hungry lion, ripping and shredding at even the darkest corners of my mind. I knitted my eyebrows together in a scowl and opened my jade green eyes. The first sight that greeted me was an unfamiliar white ceiling with a few cracks in it and peeling paint.

My breath caught in my thought. _Where am I?_ I wondered. As much as I wanted to sit up and have a better look around, I decided it would be safer to stay down. If the enemy was near, I didn't want him to see me awake. I turned my head, and saw an alarm clock resting on a wooden dresser.

7:06 PM.

At that moment it all came back to me like a giant ocean wave. _The Academy. The kids. That little blonde girl…Then Naruto…Naruto was screaming my name, telling me to watch out. And then pain, endless pain…then nothingness._ I sat upright immediately, my eyes wide. Quickly I reached a hand up to my head, and felt bandages. _Good, it was taken care o- _My thoughts were interrupted when my eyes locked on something on the bed. I was surprised for a few moments, and then a smile worked its way onto my face.

Naruto was lying at the foot of the bed I was in, my feet touching his upper arm. He was holding his goggles limply in his hand. His eyebrows curled up slightly, and there was a frown on his face. He had the expression of somebody who was having a nightmare. I noticed how his hands, legs, and shoulders would tense and relax at random moments.

It all clicked together like the gears in a machine. I was in Naruto's house! _Well, this is awfully strange…But nice, too. I'll admit._ I eyed the room with interest. Wads of paper, pencils, empty candy wrappers, ramen cups, and various items of clothing littered the floor from what I could see. A trashy apartment. I had had a feeling Naruto wasn't exactly the cleanest guy ever, but I didn't mind. I had once crawled through an entire sewer system with my team. _His apartment is nothing compared to that…_ I thought with a shudder.

I withdrew my feet away from him and crawled over to him, tucking them underneath me as I sat down. He cried out in his sleep, and gripped the covers hard enough to make his knuckles become white. His shoulders tensed, and I frowned. _I can't let him just, well, suffer like that! _I thought. _I should probably wake him up._

I raised my hand into the air, and I couldn't prevent a smile from creeping across my face. My head ached horribly, and my vision was swimming by then, but I could manage. I could always manage.

In one fluid motion, I pushed my hands into Naruto's arm and promptly shoved him off the bed. I saw his cerulean eye whip open and heard him yelp in surprise as he hit the wooden floor. At that moment, I couldn't help it. I burst out into a fit of laughter, which I soon regretted when a burst of pain erupted from my head, but I didn't care, as he grabbed the edge off the bed and stood up, a dazed expression on his face.

"Sakura? What…" He narrowed his eyes when his brain seemed to finally catch up with him. "Why did you shove me out of the bed?" I shrugged innocently.

"You were having a bad dream." I replied simply. He glared at me, and clambered back onto foot of the bed. He sat down cross-legged in front of me, and folded his arms across his chest.

"Have you ever heard of, oh, I don't know, _shaking somebody awake?"_

"Yea. I have." I grinned, and started giggling again, but immediately regretted it as I felt myself beginning to grow lightheaded. Naruto quickly leaned forward and grabbed my shoulder to steady me.

"Hey, easy there. You know, you might want to just lie down." He advised, but his voice seemed faraway all of a sudden. I could see spots dancing across my vision, quickly overtaking every nook and cranny of my eyes, and I fell backwards, my head plopping down onto the pillow. That seemed to do me in, unfortunately, because right then the world just went black. The last thing I heard was Naruto's concerned cry of surprise, but I couldn't comprehend what he was saying.

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><p>AN: I'm thinking next chapter will be a nightmare chapter.

How did you guys enjoy this one? It was a little shorter than the previous one. Oh well. Till next time!*waves*


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